


name?

by knightofcauldrons



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: 5+1 Things, But also, College AU, F/F, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Multi, Negative Thoughts, Other, Past Child Abuse, because sarah steel, coffee shop/barista au, except its more like 14+2, incessant usage of the nureyev alias generator, its not described in detail, just the Lightest Amount Of Angst, mentioned/referenced panic attack, takes place on modern-day earth, this is mostly fluff i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 00:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19983001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofcauldrons/pseuds/knightofcauldrons
Summary: Every so often, there’s a man that comes into the coffee shop where Juno Steel works, and every time, he tells Juno a different name. Juno is determined to get to the bottom of it and find out the man'srealname, if it’s the last damn stubborn thing he does.AKA; 14 times when Juno didn’t know a man’s name and the 2 times he did.





	name?

1.

“Name?” asked Juno after the man relayed his order. The cafe-goer across from him smiled. “Virgo Simmons,” the man said.

Juno wrote the name across the cup. “Alright, Simmons.”

Virgo smiled at Juno, teeth bright white and a little blinding, like staring into the sun.

“Have a nice day,” said Juno.

Virgo winked. “Well I will now.”

Juno’d be lying if he said he wasn’t blushing at least a little.

When Simmons left, Rita waggled her eyebrows at him and she bumped their shoulders together knowingly.

Juno rolled his eyes.

Then he frowned. “Has that guy been here before?” he asked, but Rita had already occupied herself with something else.

2.

“Name?” asked Juno. The black-haired man across from him tilted his sunglasses down to look at his barista better.

“Darius Hall,” he said, with his hat that cast a soft shadow across his face and his black turtleneck that grazed his chin.

Juno paused for a second while writing on the cup, glancing back up at Darius.

Juno sniffed. Smelled like coffee, of course, but Juno had become so accustomed to the cafe’s smell that he barely even noticed. No, he smelled something else. Something a little familiar. Perfume, maybe? Or it could've been cologne. 

Juno decided to just ignore it.

“Okay, Hall.”

Darius smirked. Juno tried not to fixate on it.

When Hall left with his drink a little while later, he gave Juno a smile and a wave goodbye.

Sasha raised an eyebrow.

“Do you know him, Juno?”

“..No,” said Juno after a hesitant pause. “Not at all.”

3.

“Name?” asked Juno.

“Phoebe Starr,” the man answered.

Juno squinted his eyes at the man, deep in thought.

“..Hey, random question, but have we met before?”

Phoebe smiled. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we have, though I’d love to get to know you, if you’re offering.”

“..We haven’t met before? Oh. I coulda sworn.. Sorry for being weird. And I’m, uh, busy. Sorry.”

Starr just nodded in understanding. “Of course, my dear.”

When Starr steps away from the counter, he bids his barista a good day.

For some reason, Juno feels a little weird. Because something’s familiar about him. He just doesn’t know what.

“..Mistah Steel?” asked Rita.

Juno blinked.

“I’m fine, Rita. Just thinking.”

4.

“Name?” asked Juno without looking up.

“Lyra Cross.”

Juno freezes, he _recognizes_ that voice, and he looks up, seeing _his_ grinning face.

Juno paused. “Okay. Lyra Cross.” Juno scratches the name onto the cup with a sharpie.

Juno may have been iffy about it last time, but now, Juno is _very_ sure he’s seen this guy before.

Maybe he’s just being weird?

But seriously. This guy is _really_ fucking familiar. Even if he looks a little different each visit, and even if there are long months in between each visit of his.

“Had a good day, Lyra Cross?” asked Juno.

“Well, I will now,” said Cross with a little smile.

Juno frowns, and he mentally sets up a cork-board in his head- one of those cork-boards with sharp tacks and red string spider-webbing across it. And across that cork-board are pictures of Virgo, and Darius, and Phoebe, and now Lyra, and they’re all connected by a red string to a piece of paper that says _SAME GUY??????_ in bold red letters. 

Juno squints at Lyra as he leaves.

His next customer after that is Valles Vicky.

“I know that look on your face. Want me to figure out who he is?” asked Vicky. “I do owe you one, after you helped me with Ingrid.”

Juno sighed.

“No,” he eventually decided. “No, don’t bother.”

Vicky shrugged, “Well suit yourself, kid.”

5.

Juno suspiciously eyed the customer in front of him.

The man smiled back innocently.

“Name?” asked Juno. 

“Perseus Shah,” the man said, his smile bright.

Juno slowly wrote the letters down, as if waiting for the man to fess up and give his real name. 

The man didn't.

Juno set the cup down on the counter. 

“Well, _Perseus_ ,” he said, putting extra emphasis on the name. “Have a nice day.”

The man’s smile widened. “You too!” he said.

As the man left, Juno stared after him.

“Geez, Juno!” said Mick. “Keep staring like that, and you’re gonna burn two holes into the poor guy’s back!”

Juno frowned slightly.

“I’m gonna figure him out,” he promised, mostly to himself rather than to Mick, “one way or another.”

6.

“Name?” Juno asked, eyeing his customer.

The man grinned. “Rex Glass.”

Juno raised an eyebrow at the man, who’s grin just got wider.

“Alright, Mr. _Rex Glass_ ,” Juno said, voice clipped. “ _Nice name_.”

Glass smirked. “Thank you! I picked it out myself,” he joked.

Juno eyed him. “I’m sure you did,” he said.

“Gee,” Alessandra said in a monotone voice when Rex left. “I’m pretty sure I could cut the sexual tension with a fucking knife, Juno.”

Juno’s face turned red as he hit her hard on the arm. Alessandra just raised an eyebrow at him, the hint of a sly smile on her face.

7.

“Na- oh, it’s you again.”

The man across from him smiled innocently, tilting his head a little, which was unbearably cute and unbearably irritating. “Oh, I’m sorry? You must have me mistaken for someone else- I’ve never been here before!”

“Oh, right,” said Juno, wholly unconvinced. “Of course. I must be mistaken. Name?”

“Duke Rose.”

“Right, right,” Juno mumbled as he wrote on the cup. “Duke Rose.” He set the cup down on the counter as Rose swiped his card, paying for his order.

“..See you again?” asked Juno just as Duke was about to leave the cafe with his drink.

Duke paused, seemingly confused for a second, but then smiled softly.

“Oh, perhaps. Seems like a nice little coffee shop, I wouldn’t mind coming back. And,” said Rose, a flirty smile on his face, “the cute barista’s always a plus.”

Then he left with a wave.

Juno watched him leave, pink-faced and frustrated that he was nowhere closer to finding out the man’s actual name. Or maybe he already knew it, but was unable to pick it out from the other aliases.

Buddy Aurinko, his next customer, smiled at him teasingly with a twist of her red lips. 

Juno sighed.

“Save it, Buddy.”

Buddy smirked. “Head over heels, hm?” said Buddy softly. “You’d make an adorable couple.”

Juno suddenly snapped his head up.

“You _know_ him, don’t you?”

Buddy just smiled. “Maybe, perhaps.”

Juno groaned.

“Vague motherfucker.” He sighed. “Vanilla mocha?”

"I'm flattered you remember! Yes please, Juno dear.”

“I gotcha, Buddy. How’s Vespa?”

Buddy smiled softly, glancing down at the tiled floor. “She’s wonderful.”

8.

Juno sighed. “Well. Here we go again.”

Juno looked up at the man in front of him. “Name?”

“Apollo Starr.”

Juno paused. Starr.. A shit-eating grin spread across his face as he realized why the name sounded familiar.

“Getting rusty?”

The man tilted his head, a little confused. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing nothing, Apollo _Starr_.”

“I- _Oh_ ,” said Starr. Juno smirked; He swore he could pinpoint the exact moment when Starr realized his mistake- that he had used the last name already when he was posing as Phoebe Starr a few months ago.

Juno grinned at Starr’s slightly frazzled expression.

“Could just be two people with the same name,” Starr replied weakly.

Juno’s grin widened. “Yes, of course. Because _Starr_ is _obviously_ such a common surname.”

“..Well, there's Ringo Starr.”

“That’s a stage name,” said Juno, still feeling triumphant. 

“Junooo,” groaned Alessandra as she handed a drink to someone else, “stop flirtin’, get workin’.”

Juno rolled his eyes, before writing Starr's name down, with quotation marks around it.

“Come back soon, Starr,” he said. “It’s bad manners to keep a lady waiting.”

“O-Of course,” said Starr in a flustered tone that made Juno smile.

Starr’s visit made Juno’s day better, which of course meant that Cecil Kanagawa had to be his next customer.

Cecil smirked, resting his elbow on the counter, his cheek on the metallic palm of his top-of-the-line prosthetic.

“Junebug!” he said, his eyes alight. “Didn’t know you were _affiliated_ with someone!” he said with a wink. Juno groaned, “I’m not _dating_ him, Kanagawa. I’m not dating anyone.”

“Right, right!” said Cecil, with a shit-eating grin that said that he didn’t believe him, or that he didn’t care if it wasn’t the truth anyways. “Sure, sure. So what’s the fellas name?”

Juno paused. “Still trying to figure that out, Cecil,” he said. “Still trying to figure that out.”

9\. 

“Now what’s the forecast today?” asked Juno. “Aka; Name?”

The man smiled. 

“Ariadne Green.”

“Wait wait, hold on,” said Juno, quickly looking around the coffee shop. It was mostly empty except for a customer sitting at a table, and there was no line behind Ariadne, nor was there any sign that there’d be one. It had been a slow day.

“Okay, so since you’re like, the only fuckin’ person here, here’s what I wanna do- I wanna try and guess your name.”

The man smiled, raising an intrigued eyebrow.

“An interesting offer, dear. How about we raise the steaks, though?”

Juno raised an eyebrow.

“Raise the steaks, huh?”

“I’ve always been a gambler.”

Juno smirked. “How bout this- I get ten guesses. If I can’t guess your name, I pay for your drink.”

“Well, I never could refuse a free drink. You really know how to treat a guy! I’ll even give you a hint- My name starts with _N_.”

“First or last?”

“You’ll have to guess.”

“Alright then. Alex Night.”

“No.”

“Thomas Noah.”

“No.”

“Noah Simes.”

“Nice name, but no.”

“..John Nile.”

“No.”

“Nicola Metal.”

“No.”

“..Caleb Nott.”

“Nope!”

“..Nadiya Jones?”

“No cigar, my dear.”

“Nico Dun?”

“Nope!”

“Nathan Duke.”

“I've used Duke as an alias. Do you really think I’d use my own name as an alias?”

“Well I guess not. Ugh, what are some other common names? ..Peter Nicholas?”

“Nope! Now that drink, please?” asked Micah.

“Ugh, fiiiiine. ..There. All paid for. Throw me a bone, was I even close to guessing it?”

“Close, but not quite. ‘Twas a valiant effort,” Ariadne said.

Juno smiled a little.

“I’ll figure you out one day,” he said softly.

Ariadne smiled softly back at him. “I’m sure you will.”

10.

“So, what’s it this time?”

“Oh, aren’t you gonna say?”

“Ugh, fine. _Name_?”

The man grinned.

“Elon Musk.”

Juno snorted. “Wha- No, no we’re _not_ doing this!”

“Oh, would you prefer Shrek? Maybe Anish Kapoor.”

“Give me something to _work_ with, man!”

“Barack Obama. Ooh, Voldemort. Anakin? Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke Skywalker. Ooh, Katniss Everdeen?”

Juno wrote _Snarky Asshole_ onto the cup.

“You, sir, are the worst.”

The man grinned, looking at Juno fondly.

Later, Mick frowned.

“Uh, Juno? Why’d you write this on some poor guy’s cup? I, uh, I don’t feel good calling this out in front of everyone in here.”

“Oh right, I forgot I put that on there. Hey asshole, your drink’s ready!”

The man gave him a lopsided smile, taking his drink from Juno.

“Catch you later?” said the man, as he walked towards the door.

“Sure, No Name,” said Juno with a dreamy smile.

“..So who was that?” asked Mick when the man had left.

“Uh, that’s-”

“Yeah, _Juno_ , who _was_ that?”

Juno’s blood froze as he slowly turned around.

And there stood Benzaiten Steel, in all his _smug asshole glory_.

Juno’s face turned pink. “Uh, Ben! Didn’t see you there. How’s the dancing going?”

Ben smirked. “How’s the boyfriend going?”

Juno frowned indignantly. “He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Yeah, sure,” said Ben. Ben wrapped an arm around Juno, ruffling his hair while Juno protested. "You've got a _crush_!"

"I _don't_ have a _crush_!"

Ben laughed. “C’mon, you’ve _totally_ got a crush. Juno’s totally got a crush, right?”

“Totally,” Mick agreed.

Sasha, sitting nearby, glanced over her newspaper at Mick, then at Ben and Juno half-wrestling, then back down at her newspaper.

“Totally,” she said in a monotone voice.

Juno sighed.

“You’re all the worst.”

11.

Right in front of the counter of the coffee shop was a magazine stand. Juno never really looked at it much- He wasn't much for magazines.

 _Rita_ was, though.

“Oh, Christ. Rita, what are you smirking at over there? I'm worried.”

Rita cackled.

“Oh, nothing! Just, a new magazine came in, and I just _had_ to put it on display!”

“..Okay? What's it about, the latest celebrity gossip? Another celeb pregnancy? Another affair?”

Rita just grinned evilly. “Oh, it’s nothing, Mistah Steel! Say, is that one guy gonna come in today? The guy with the nice hair and glasses?”

“Uh, I dunno-”

That's when the door opened, revealing the man in question.

“-Oh. There he is, then,” said Juno.

The man walked up to the counter with a smile.

“Name?” asked Juno.

“Markus..” the man trailed off as he glanced at the magazine stand, “..Vale. Markus Vale.”

Vale smirked.

“Say, what's with this new magazine?”

Juno gritted his teeth.

“I swear to _God_ , if one more person mentions this _fucking_ mystery magazine..”

Rita chuckled behind him.

Vale raised an amused eyebrow.

“Oh, you haven't seen it? Well, I must admit that this is the first time _I've_ seen it..”

“Christ, what the fuck is it?”

Juno leaned over, craning his neck to try and look at it. Vale plucked it off the stand, showing Juno the bright pink cover.

Juno paled out of fear, then flushed pinkish out of embarrassment, then turned reddish in anger, and he felt like he was going through all five stages of grief all at once.

The cover, in its bold glittery letters, proclaimed _SNEAK PEEK: LOCAL BARISTA JUNO STEEL HAS SECRET LOVER BUT WON’T SPILL HIS NAME??? SCANDALOUS!! WHO COULD THE LUCKY MYSTERY MAN BE????_

Juno put his face in his hands.

“Oh Jesus- Cecil’s fucking _magazine_.”

Juno usually knew better than to talk to Cecil Kanagawa for longer than a few seconds- you could talk to him for merely a fucking minute, and he'd somehow be able to turn it into some kind of sensational story. Cecil ran the campus newspaper, which quickly turned from an informative newspaper to a gossip tabloid magazine, which was fine by Juno, because Juno didn’t give two shits about what Cecil did in his spare time, as long as _he_ wasn’t involved. He made careful precautions to never say too much around Kanagawa- of course he just _had_ to find Juno with his guard down when he had visited the coffee shop not too long ago.

Vale grinned.

“I'm gonna fucking _kill_ Kanagawa! I should've fucking known better than to even say a fucking _word_ to the fuckin’ guy!”

“Secret lover?” teased Vale, obviously amused. “My, my!”

“Cecil, what a fucking _snake_ , I swear to god, the next time I see him I'm gonna fucking _throttle_ him. I'll choke him with his own fucking boa. I'll gag him with his own fucking pretentious blue scarf, the one that's so glittery that it fucking hurts to look at.”

“Kinky,” joked Vale with a wink, making Juno blanch and nearly choke on bile, because he did _not_ want to think about doing that sort of stuff with fucking _Cecil Kanagawa_ , he’d rather die than even touch him with a ten foot pole. 

“Fuck you, shithead,” Juno choked out.

“Well, you must admit,” Vale mused, “the cover looks impressively professional for a mere college magazine.”

“Yeah, well that’s Cecil Kanagawa for you,” Juno grumbled.

“-Plus, they picked a _rather_ flattering picture of you.”

Juno groaned and flushed, looking up at Vale through his fingers while Rita cackled in the background.

Vale paused for a moment. “..Your name’s Juno Steel?”

“Yeah? Says so on my name-tag.”

“You're not wearing one.”

“Oh. Whoops.”

“Lovely name, by the way.”

“I-I guess. Speaking of names,” said Juno, “what's yours?”

He smiled nicely, and answered, “Markus Vale.”

Juno sighed. “Figures.”

Vale tilted his head like a puppy. “Well, what else did you expect, Juno Steel?”

Juno couldn't lie, the sound of his name on Vale’s tongue was intoxicating.

He's sure he could listen to Vale’s voice all day.

12.

Cecil grinned at Juno, leering.

“So what do you think of the new issue?”

Juno gritted his teeth.

“I am going to rip your _fucking_ balls off and then tear you a new one, Kanagawa,” he growled.

Cecil laughed, eyes wide and bright. “Oh ho ho! Junebug, how rude! Oh, question, are you coming over for the holidays, Junebug? You _are_ one of the family, Juno, and we’d _love_ to have you, mother especially.”

Juno snorted. “Family gathering with the fucking _Kanagawas_? That's a death sentence, Cecil. And if I had to pick how I die, I'd rather get eaten by sharks instead of attending Christmas dinner with the _Kanagawas_. I’m sure the sharks would hurt less.”

“How rude, Junebug!”

“Oi, hands off!” said Rita in the background. “He's spending Christmas with _me_ , anyhow! Plus, his birthday’s comin' up next month!”

Cecil looked surprised, before a shark-toothed grin dangerously spread across his face.

“Your _birthday_? Juno, why didn't you tell me!”

Juno groaned.

“ _Rita_! There's a _reason_ I've never told Kanagawa my birthday!”

“Whoops! Sorry boss,” said Rita with a nonchalant shrug.

Juno groaned, louder, as the front door to the coffee shop opened.

Cecil chortled. “Oh, the man of the hour! Just the guy I've been dying to see!” he said with his high-pitched voice, in that certain sadistic and conspiratorial tone of his, the tone that sounded like he was just _dying_ to see something bad happen to you, and that that “bad thing” was going to happen sometime soon. Juno looked up.

“ _Dammit_!” he muttered.

The man raised an eyebrow at Cecil.

“Oh? Have we met before?” he said to Cecil. “I don't seem to recognize you, but I’d be delighted in introducing myself.” He gave Cecil that infuriatingly dashing smile of his.

Juno sighed. “Hey. Name? What's it this time?”

“Oh, yes!” said Cecil, leaning forward and batting his eyelashes, “what _is_ your name?”

Juno groaned. “On second thought,” he said, “don't tell him. It’d be like giving ammo to the enemy.”

The man glanced at Cecil, a little smile on his lips.

“I'm going to take a guess that your name is Cecil Kanagawa?" the man said. "You run that _charming_ magazine, yes?”

Cecil grinned. “Why, yes I _do_ , darling!” he said with a fluttering giggle, the type of giggle that sounded like butterflies, if the butterflies were holding machine-guns and were into sadomasochism.

“Well, I’m delighted to meet you! I've heard many things,” said the man, with that blinding smile of his and those bright bright eyes, holding a hand out for Cecil to shake.

And, _no_ , Juno _isn’t_ jealous- he'd never allow himself to be jealous of _Cecil Kanagawa_. Besides, he doesn’t even know the guy's name! So it’s not like there's any reason for him to be jealous, right?

Juno just crossed his arms and brooded as the two made introductions.

“I must say,” said the man, and gee, have his eyelashes _always_ been that long?, “You've made _quite_ an impressive name for yourself, Cecil Kanagawa.”

Cecil gasped happily, raising a hand up to his chest dramatically. Juno could practically see the cartoon hearts appearing above his head.

“Why, thank you! And you, yourself, are _quite_ the man of mystery!” Cecil said.

The man chuckled. “I suppose so, yes.”

“Oh! Oh! I know _just_ what I need to do!” Cecil clumsily got a little notebook out of his inside jacket pocket, the kind that flips over your hand. Cecil plucked a pen, the kind with the fluffy pink pom-pom on the end of it, out of his breast-pocket.

“Can I get an interview? I promise it'll be quick, it’ll only be a few questions!”

Juno’s eyes pleaded for the man to say no.

The man looked over, saw Juno's pleading face, smiled, and then ignored it as he said, “Oh, I suppose why not!”

Juno slumps a little in defeat, and knows that at this point, there's nothing he can do except watch.

Now that he's just watching, he takes the time to observe the man. (For completely professional reasons, mind you).

He’s really tall, Juno notices. Really really tall. Taller than Juno, and taller than Cecil and Rita. He's thin and lanky and he's got legs that go on for miles and miles.

And oh Christ, he's also kind of _gorgeous_. It's always kinda been something that he's noticed, of course, but now he's _really_ starting to notice. His bright bright eyes and soft, immaculate hair, and pink lips-

Well, Juno’s going insane.

He's going insane and his heart’s beating faster, and he can't believe that it took him this long to realize, he can't believe that it took him being jealous of _Cecil fucking Kanagawa_ in order to realize that he's wholeheartedly in _love_ with the man.

And he doesn't even know his name.

13.

When Juno turns around, he sees his first two clients after a long dry spell of no one at all.

“Hey, Juno Steel.”

“Oh shit! Buddy, Vespa! Great to see you guys again!”

He's happy to see them..

“Oh Juno, have you heard about the _interesting_ new magazine from Cecil?”

..Until he's not.

Juno groaned.

“Buuuddy, _please_ no. If I have to hear about that _fucking_ magazine _one more time_..!”

As if the first magazine issue wasn't bad enough, Cecil has now published a _second_ one- Complete with the interview that Cecil had given Mystery Man last time he was in the coffee shop.

Juno _is_ actually happy to see Buddy and Vespa, though- The two childhood sweethearts finally together again, Buddy’s arm around Vespa and both of them smiling happily.

As much as Juno loves his friends, though, (which is a lot, mind you), he's still going to _seriously_ murder the next person that mentions the _fucking_ magazine. And he'd _like_ to say that he'd kill _Cecil_ , too, but he's learning that Cecil's kinda unkillable, like a young immortal. Juno's not completely sure that any of the Kanagawas _can_ die, they're the _Kanagawas_. (But ah well. Revenge _is_ a dish best served cold, as they say.)

“It's a _rad_ magazine, Juno,” Vespa teased and Juno can hear the joking smile in her gravelly voice. 

“I,” said Juno, “am suffering.”

Buddy leaned an elbow on the counter.

“Are you even dating him in the first place, Juno?”

“ _No_!”

Vespa laughed, while Buddy said, “Ugh! Juno, I _told_ you to go for it!”

“No, you didn’t- You just said that we'd make an adorable couple.”

“Same thing, Juno.”

“I don't even know his fucking _name_!”

Vespa and Buddy cackled at that.

Juno narrowed his eyes.

“But you two do, don't you?”

“Of course, darling,” said Buddy, “We’re his friends! We've known him for even longer than we've known you, Juno.”

Juno looked Buddy firmly in the eyes with steely determination.

“I will _literally_ pay you to tell me his name.”

“Oh, ta ta, Juno!” said Buddy, clicking her tongue in mock disappointment like she was his mom.

(She kinda was, actually. Like a mom-friend. Same with Vespa, and Alessandra, and Sasha, and Rita, and even Vicky to some extent. The only person who wasn't worthy of the title “mom” was his actual mother.)

“We don't sell people's secrets quite so easily, Juno,” said Vespa with a conspiratorial smile.

Juno was disappointed but unsurprised. “Figures."

“We have _some_ sense of a moral code, Juno,” said Buddy.

“Right, right. Ugh.”

The door opens again, and there's a delighted gasp. “Buddy! Vespa! What a pleasant surprise!”

The two girlfriends turned, and Juno can't see it but he knows that they’re both grinning.

“Dude! We haven't seen you in weeks, you bastard!” Vespa said with a laugh in her voice.

“Yes, well,” the man said, walking forward, “You know how it is. Business is business- It seems like my schedule’s always changing.”

“Ah, yes,” said Buddy, “Always restless, aren't you? Can never stay in one place for too long?

“..Well,” said the man. “Ordinarily, that'd be true, but..” He glanced at Juno. “..I think I have a reason to stay put, finally- An anchor, of sorts, I think.”

Vespa and Buddy both grinned at Juno.

“..What? _What_? Do I have something on my face?” Juno snapped hastily. Vespa just rolled her eyes and Buddy just snickered.

..Juno wasn't hallucinating, right? When the man glanced at _him_ while he was talking? He couldn't stop thinking about that glance- About the man's bright, piercing eyes that softened when they looked at him, those bright eyes that looked like they'd be able to see right through to Juno’s soul if only he squint a little.

Also, the man looked like he'd just come out of a meeting, or an interview, or something fancy like that. Well, the man _always_ wore nice clothing, if eccentric, like anything and everything could be a special occasion if you dressed well enough. But today, he was wearing a suit that fit him in all the right ways, with suspenders doubled with a belt (never trust a man who wears suspenders _and_ a belt, Juno once heard someone say, but too late, because Juno would already trust the guy with his life), a black blazer draped over his shoulder.

“So anyways,” said the man, walking to them, “what were you three lovely ladies talking about before I came in?”

“Nothing,” Juno said perhaps a little too quickly. “So I hear you guys know each other?”

The man smiled. “Indeed! Buddy and I go way back, and I met Vespa through Buddy, before, well.. _Before_.” He trailed off at that. Juno knew what he was talking about- He didn't know the details, but he knew that Vespa and Buddy were inseparable, but then fell out of touch for reasons kind of outside their control. Juno didn't know either of them when it happened, but Buddy and Jet had told him the story.

“Anyways, its positively _lovely_ to see you two back at it!” Mystery Man said.

“Thanks, dude,” Vespa said with a little smile, flashing the man a peace sign.

“Hey Buddy, Vespa, having the usual?”

“Yes, thank you, Juno darling.” Juno nodded.

The man raised an eyebrow.

“Enlighten me, dear- how do you know Buddy and Vespa, Juno?”

The man saying Juno’s name takes him a little by surprise, forgetting that he knew it. (A pleasant surprise.)

“I met Buddy through a mutual friend, a guy named Jet. And when I met Vespa through Buddy." 

Juno looked up from the drinks he was making. “Cute couple,” he commented offhandedly, just to see what would happen. Vespa flushed and Buddy grinned proudly, kissing her Vespa on the cheek, making Vespa turn red to match with her green hair.

The man smirked, and Juno handed Buddy and Vespa their drinks.

“Two for the cute couple, here you go,” said Juno.

“Are you sure _you two_ aren't the cute couple?” asked Vespa with a chuckle, eyeing Juno and the Mystery Man.

“Okayitwasgreattoseeyoutwoloveyoubye,” Juno said, all in one breath with a red face, and Buddy and Vespa laughed as they left, Buddy giving the Mystery Man a friendly goodbye kiss on the cheek and a threat to get back in touch with them or else.

The man stepped up to the counter, trying to wipe Buddy's bright red lipstick off his cheek. Juno laughed as he failed miserably, spreading the lipstick around instead.

“Ugh, c’mere, dork,” he said, gently taking the man by one of his suspenders with a fond look in his eye. The man tilted his head a little and it was unbearably adorable. “Juno?”

Juno dipped his fingers in a little bit of water, then rubbed at the stain on the man’s cheek.

“Ugh.. Stubborn. Nice color, too- I need to borrow Buddy’s lipstick one day.”

Juno’s breathed hitched when he noticed how the man leaned into the touch. The man smiled a little. “I'm sure it'd look great on you, Juno Steel.”

Juno rubbed at the lipstick until it was gone, brushing away the rest of it.

“Annnnnnnd.. there! All..” Juno slowly glanced at the man. “..gone.”

When he glanced at the man’s eyes, the man was already looking at his. The man seemed a little flustered when Juno noticed his staring, his pale skin turning pink, but Juno silently challenged him to not look away with a raise of his eyebrows, (and who could turn down a challenge?), so he didn't.

And so they just sorta.. Stayed like that, looking at each other. And yeah, maybe it was a little awkward, but Juno falls easily for a pretty face, and Mystery Man's face was too pretty to look away from...

...His big eyes that he could get lost in without a care, his sharp teeth like a fox’s, his cushiony pink lips.. The birthmarks all over his otherwise clear-complexioned skin, like the ones on his neck and the small ones by his eye, the ones that Juno wanted to kiss. 

It takes Juno a second to notice that his hand hasn't pulled away- in fact, he's now cupping Mystery Man's cheek.

The man across from him isn't pulling away, either. In fact, he shows exactly zero intent to.

And suddenly, Juno’s breath hitches a little- Because he noticed the man studying _Juno’s_ face, too, in the same starstruck way that Juno studied his, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, like Juno was the secret 8th wonder of the world.

He's not sure how long it's been.. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Either way, it feels like an eternity. Not a bad way to spend an eternity, but eternity can't last forever.

It occurs to Juno that he hasn't said anything in _awhile_ , and neither has the man in front of him. He feels like he could cut the silence with a knife- So he does.

“..Name?” Juno ask, voice cracking like it hadn't expected to be used.

The man laughs, voice breathy in a way that makes Juno's head feel light.

“Ruby Vega,” the man says.

Juno gives Ruby a lopsided half-smile.

“I still don't get the luxury of a real name?” he said softly.

Ruby leans into his touch even more, making the hair on the back of Juno’s neck stick up, and overlays his hand with the one that Juno has on his cheek.

“One day, Juno Steel.”

The corners of Juno’s eyes crinkle wryly.

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“..Caramel macchiato?” said Ruby, making Juno chuckle a bit. 

“Sure, sure,” he said, about to turn away, but not before Ruby leaned down and kissed Juno between the eyes. Juno was barely even able to feel it, the contact barely there, but the skin still tingled like it was crinkling with electricity. 

Then Ruby pat Juno on top his curls and said, “Well, chop chop, get to it! Can’t keep a customer waiting, Juno Steel.” 

Juno snorted and rolled his eyes. 

Juno was falling hard for this nameless man.

Later, Ruby takes his drink, gives Juno a generous tip, and leaves with a wave.

Juno hears footsteps coming from behind him, and he turns around, and sees.. Well, would you look at that! His worst nightmare!

Because there’s Juno’s twin brother, leaning against the wall behind him, and in his hands is a _bright pink magazine_ , and Ben is looking Juno straight in the eyes and smirking dangerously.

“Secret lover, huh?” 

Juno groaned and wants to die on the spot. 

14.

..He’s still thinking about the last time the man had visited. 

Smudging the lipstick off his face, the intimate silence, the kiss between his eyes.

Maybe he’s thinking too much about it. Maybe it just didn’t mean anything. The guy could have anyone he wants, Juno thinks to himself, so why would he choose Juno Steel, Certified Disaster Bi?

When Juno turns around, and sees his first customer of his shift, he immediately starts taking his apron off and starts walking away. “Nope. Nope nope nope.”

“Aw, Juno, you can’t just walk away from your old bud!” 

“Oh yeah? Then how am I walking away right now, Cass?”

“Ugh! That's unladylike, Juno Steel!” 

He’s just about to walk into the back of the coffee shop, before he sighs, begrudgingly puts his apron back on, and walks back over to the counter, staring Cassandra Kanagawa right in the eye.

“Hey Juno. You get me a black coffee, and I give you an apology and a twenty dollar tip, yeah?”

“Only twenty?”

“Well what the fuck else do you want? I’m not made of fucking _money_ , Juno.”

“Did you seriously just say that? You kinda fucking _are_ , Cass, you’re a fucking _Kanagawa_.” 

Cass paused. “ _Touche_.” 

“So what’s with the supposed apology?” Juno asked.

“Oh, well- I’ve taken it upon myself to apologize on the behalf of my idiot twin brother for-”

“Don’t even say it.”

“-the magazine thing.”

“Dammit. I didn’t want to be _reminded_ about that shit.”

“Sorry,” said Cass, not seeming sorry at all.

“I’m gonna kill Cecil.”

“Good luck, I’ve tried- I’ve found it’s kinda impossible. Oh, fun story- when I was three, Cecil and I were arguing about something, and I punched him square in the eye,” Cass said, loudly smacking her lips as she chewed her bubblegum. “Then he turned on the waterworks, started crying his signature fuckin' crocodile tears.” 

“Have you ever thought that maybe he was crying because you _punched_ a _three-year-old_ in the eye?”

“I’ve thought about it, but no. Cecil _only_ cries when it’s beneficial for him, gaining people’s pity, y'know? You can wrap just about anyone around your finger as long as you’ve got enough pity points, and Cecil's known that since forever.”

“Hm. Well, fun story- I did the same thing with my own brother when we were three.”

Cass grinned, showing off one of her silver teeth. “Great minds think alike, Juno Steel! Poor Benzaiten.”

“Can’t even remember what we were arguing about. Probably something stupid.”

Cass snorted. “Probably. Tell Ben I said hi?”

“Only if you tell Cecil I said fuck off.”

“I’d do that anyways. God, I hate him.”

“Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em, Cass,” said Juno.

“Well, we’ll see about that. Coffee?”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

Juno started making Cass her coffee. “So how’s the family, anyways?” Juno asked.

Cass snorted. “Well how’s yours?” 

Juno didn’t say anything.

Cass grunted. “Ugh, Sorry Juno.” And this time she actually did sound sorry. “Less shitty question- how’s Ben?”

“He’s Ben," answered Juno. "Doing his dancing, and stuff.”

“Is he any good at it?" asked Cass. "I've never seen him dance before, I've only heard about it.”

“He’s the best dancer I’ve ever seen, and I’m not just saying that cause he’s my brother. I’m also not just saying that because I haven’t seen anyone else dance.”

“You need to get out more, Juno Steel.”

“Maybe. You still haven’t answered my question.” 

Cass sighed. 

“I hate the holidays. Family reunions are horrifying, since there’s _so fucking much_ family to go around. My parents, my brother, my aunts and uncles, my fucking cousins that I’m never able to remember the names of.” Cass rolled her eyes. “Kanagawas breed like fucking rabbits.”

“So you’re saying that the young ones rarely make it past sixteen, but the ones that do are bloodthirsty, ruthless, and willing to sell your arms right off your body if they think they can get even five dollars for it?”

Cass snorted. “What kinda fuckin’ rabbits are _you_ thinkin’ about, Junebug? But yeah. You’re not wrong.” 

Cass paused. “I hate my fuckin’ family. Even as a damn adult, I still can’t fuckin’ escape ‘em. Sometimes I think about just hitchin’ a ride, jackin’ one of my dad’s cars and riding away into the sunset. Far away from here. Off the fuckin’ grid where they never have to fuckin’ bother me again. Cut myself off from all of them entirely.”

“..Except for Cecil, I’m guessing.”

Cass nodded slowly.

“Except for Cecil,” she agreed quietly. “Wouldn't have the strength to cut myself off from _Cecil_." Cass paused. "..Honestly? He’s the only reason I’m still here.”

Juno paused a moment to let her words sink in.

“..Well, whaddya know? I’m somehow grateful for Cecil Kanagawa. ..Cuz I’m glad you’re still here, Cass.”

“..Thanks Junebug.”

Juno smiled, before putting Cass’s finished coffee onto the counter.

“Now here’s your coffee, Cass. Get the fuck out of my sight.”

Cass laughs in the only way she can- Loud and obnoxiously. It puts a smile on Juno’s face.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, and she, true to her promise, puts a 20 in the tip jar. 

“And by the way- I know I apologized on Cecil’s behalf, but the magazine thing’s still pretty funny.” 

Juno sighed and gave Cass the finger. 

“Fuck off, Kanagawa.”

Cass grinned and flicked her tinted sunglasses over her eyes. “Laters, Junebug,” she said, and she left while showing her own middle finger at him over her shoulder, her black nail polish chipped.

A few minutes later, the Mystery Man walked into the coffee shop.

Juno grinned. 

“What’s the forecast?”

“Oh, aren’t you going to say it?”

“Ugh. Name?”

“Noah Simes.”

“Hey! That’s one of the names _I_ came up with when I was trying to guess your name!” 

“And I liked it, so I took it,” said the man.

“Fuckin’ thief!” cried Juno.

“Precisely so. Peppermint latte?”

Juno grunted. “'Tis the fuckin’ season, I guess.”

“Indeed, Juno darling. Are you fond of the holidays?”

Juno shrugged. “Not really. Bah humbug, or whatever.” 

“Hm. I’m rather fond of the holidays, myself, but I can understand. It’s not like I spend Christmas with anyone, anyways.”

“..You don’t? Really? _You_? Mr. Charming?”

Simes grinned. “You think I’m charming?”

“Whatever, sure," said Juno, not taking the bait of Simes' changing the subject. "That didn’t answer the question though.”

Simes just shrugged. “I just don’t have a lot of family to celebrate with. It’s never bothered me, though. It’s not like I even know what I’m missing out on, but sometimes.. It’s fun to fantasize what it'd be like. To celebrate it with someone else.” 

Juno nodded. “Yeah. I get it. ..Holidays aren’t all bad, I guess. The snow's nice. And I like peppermint, anyways. And Rita likes the holidays, so getting to see her all happy is a nice plus.” 

Juno looked up at Simes.

“How long have we known each other, do you think?”

“I... I’m unsure. It’s been a rather long time, though. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering how long we've been friends without you telling me your _fucking name_.”

“You consider me a friend, Juno?”

“What’s your fucking _name_?”

“..Beat me in rock, paper, scissors, and I’ll tell you.” 

“No, fuck you, that’s childish and petty.”

Simes raised an eyebrow.

“And are you _not_ already childish and petty?”

“Fuck, you have a point. Alright, square up, motherfucker.”

Juno lost the first game.

Simes raised an eyebrow.

“..Best two out of three.”

“Oh, alright.”

Juno won the second game.

“Oh fuck yeah!” he said, way too excited.

Then Juno lost the last game.

“..All or nothing?”

Simes sighed, exasperated but fond.

..Then Juno lost all or nothing. 

“Oh come _on_! You just got lucky!"

Simes grinned triumphantly.

“Better luck next time, my dear.”

+1

Juno’s.. Not having a good day. 

First of all, he had a panic attack last night. Why? Who fuckin’ knows- honestly, it could’ve been anything. Or it could’ve been a combination of everything. 

For example;

Could’ve been the show he was watching. He had mostly tuned out of it, until one of the characters was thrown a birthday party. And, well. Juno’s never had any good birthday parties.

Or it could’ve been the power going out, like it would when he was younger, because _she_ would always put her money into her many vices instead of paying her many bills. Or it could've been the creaking in his hallway- And you’d think he’d be used to it but it still haunts him. 

It could’ve been the bottle of advil in the cabinet- it’s nothing, really, but he thinks, well, advil are pills, just like the pills she lost that one night, then blamed losing them on Ben, which led to Ben in the hospital and barely even-

He doesn’t even want to finish the thought.

But, the cherry-on-fucking-top, was when Juno was flipping through the channels on his TV- And there it is. A rerun of an old cartoon from his childhood. _Turbo: Man of the Future_. Wasn’t ever his favorite show, it was mediocre at best, but he and Ben liked it because _she_ helped make it. 

Juno Steel fucking hates himself, hates his stupid fucking childhood, and hates _Sarah fucking Steel_.

He didn’t get much sleep that night, and he got up that morning feeling like hell itself, like Satan had personally come to Earth just so that he could punish Juno in particular. 

Juno trudges his feet to the coffee shop, and he’s only going through the motions. 

He puts his apron over his head, he barely hears Rita say hi to him, (quite a feat, really, considering the fact that Rita has zero volume control), and he stands in front of the counter, playing on his phone until the first customers of the day walk up to him.

It’s gonna be a long fuckin’ shift, he can already tell. 

It’s around midday now. Juno’s wishing he could just crawl in a hole and die, because he swears that when he's not busying his brain with something else, he’s able to hear the voice of Sarah Steel.

“What can I get for you?” Juno said like a robot programmed to say its lines, busying himself with straightening out the things on the counter so that he doesn’t need to look up and make eye-contact with whoever it is in front of him, because he honestly can’t be bothered. 

“A caramel macchiato, if you please?”

“Mhm. Name?”

There’s a long pause. Juno almost thinks about looking up.

“Name?” he asks again instead.

“..Peter Nureyev.”

Juno nods and writes it on the cup, passing the cup off to Rita.

“Your drink will be ready soon, sir,” he says, not bothering to make his voice sound like the specific brand of customer-friendly pleasantness that you're trained to use. 

The customer waits a second, those long legs hesitating, before he walks away. 

_Little monster_ , says a voice in his head, and Juno’s not sure whether he wants to punch himself or cry or both- Maybe both. Not right now. He can drink himself into a stupor later, right now he just needs to get through his fucking shift.

He’s serving another customer, when the customer from before starts leaving. Right as the door opens, something clicks in Juno’s head and he hurriedly looks up, but the customer’s already gone and the door is closing slowly, and the familiar scent that Juno had sensed is being swept up by the outside air. 

It’s probably just nothing, and Juno waves it off, quickly forgetting that it even happened in the first place.

+1.5

Juno Steel. A truly marvelous human being, he thinks, and somehow, Juno seems to think likewise about him.

The thought of it makes the man’s heart flutter like a teen girl with a crush. Dumb little heart, he thought, sighing wistfully. Dumb little heart.

Today though, Juno seems.. Sad. Out of it. He won’t even look up, nothing even seems to faze him out of the monotony of the day.

He tilts his head at the barista, but he doesn’t seem to notice the movement.

“Caramel macchiato, if you please?” he asks, voice light.

The barista doesn’t even seem to notice his familiar voice. It makes his heart clench. He must really be out of it. 

“Mhm. Name?”

And that’s where he’s stuck. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, weighing the pros and cons- Because there’s a certain name that’s banging on the back of his teeth, like a criminal banging on the bars of a jail cell, and it’s begging to be let out, it’s screaming at the top of its lungs, and he’s not sure how long he’s going to be able to hold it, and he notices that his dear barista is growing impatient. “Name?” he says again.

And who knows- Juno’s been wanting this for a long, long time. Maybe finally having it will make him feel better?

So he lets the name slip between his vulpine teeth and answers with “ _Peter Nureyev_ ,” in the hopes that his gloomy barista will be cheered up when noticing that this name isn’t like the others, that there's a special emphasis on this one.

But Juno _doesn’t_ notice.

It makes his throat clench. 

What even is he doing anymore?

(Well at least he tried? Oh, why’d he even think that’d work..?)

He hesitates before he leaves the counter, and sighs a little to himself. 

Next time, he thinks to himself. Next time. Juno will realize it eventually. 

+1.9

Juno sighs to himself. Today is a new day. 

Juno.. Well, it’s not like he’s ever been the most mentally stable. And he still isn’t. But he’s _better_ , and better is a good first step. 

AKA, he’s starting to learn that he doesn’t need to deal with his demons alone. AKA, he talked a bit to Ben yesterday after his shift, about how he still hears her voice sometimes.

Ben admitted that he still does too.

But Ben reminds him- They both got out. They’re still together and they’re both alive and now they’re _safe_. Not even Sarah Steel can separate them now.

And he tells Juno that Juno’s _not_ like _her_ , because he knows that that’s always been Juno’s biggest fear- He knows that Juno’s scared that he has her same temper, her same demons, her same disregard for everyone around her.

But he’s _different_ than her, Ben tells him. He’s his own person- He’s not just his mother. 

Then they spend the rest of the night watching reruns of _the Office_ , before Ben finally forces Juno to switch to _Dancing with the Stars_ , while Ben loudly roots for his favorite contestants and throws popcorn at the TV (“You asshole! I’m going to have to clean that!” “Sounds like a personal problem, Super Steel!”), and Juno laughing while Ben yelled at him about how _no Juno, there IS a difference between a pirouette and a fouette, doofus!_ while Juno argued back with _well, I don’t SEE a difference, dingus!_ and Ben would continue his red-faced rant, making Juno laugh. At some point, Ben tries to convince Juno to throw popcorn in his mouth (“C’mon, Super-Sniper Steel!”), and Juno sighs and obliges, and no matter what, Juno never misses. 

So, needless to say, when Juno comes into work again, he’s feeling a little bit better. 

And better is a good first step. 

+2

Alright, so something weird’s happening, and Juno fucking _doesn’t_ like it. 

When the Mystery Man had first started showing up, there’d be months in between each visit. Slowly, the months turned into mere weeks, and he nearly became something of a regular at the coffee shop.

But? He hasn’t been back in _months_. Which is sorta like how it was when he first showed up, but.. It wouldn’t be _this_ many months! At least, it’s been long enough for Juno to start being worried.

He had asked Buddy and Vespa about it, but they said they didn’t know where he was. He had asked his coworkers, but they said that he hadn’t come in lately, except for “this one time”, but Juno was on shift during that time and didn’t see him so he’s pretty sure they’re just remembering it wrong. He had even asked _Cecil Kanagawa_ , but Cecil said that he hadn’t seen him since he gave him that interview.

What if something happened? What if he (finally) decided that he was sick of Juno, or that he’s (finally) sick of playing their little fake-name game? What if he _hated_ Juno? What if someone (finally) told him that he wasn’t worth it, that he wasn’t worth the emotional baggage? What if he got sick of the gossip about being Juno’s alleged secret lover? What if he had moved to live somewhere else- What if he was gone and never going to come back? Oh Christ, what _if_ he was gone? Oh- Oh what if he was dead?

“Or,” said Rita, “what if he was a clone all along! Y’know, Mistah Steel, this reminds me of this one show where there was this gal, and she’s a clone, but she doesn’t _know_ she’s a clone!, and she meets a bunch of other clones that look just like her and she’s all confused ‘n stuff, cuz like, she never knew that she’s a clone, or that there were other clones of her, so she meets them, and she’s like wow there’s other clones of me, and _I’m_ a clone too? And like _ohmygod_ this would actually make so much sense cuz, y’know how everytime that guy showed up he had a different name, and we’re all like _oh it’s all the same person giving us different names_ , well what if they were all actually different people and they all had different names because they were _clooooones_ of each other!” 

Ben chewed on his fruit bar.

“Or maybe he’s just on vacation, Super Steel.”

“Yeah. Or that.” 

Juno groaned, suffering. “But what if he’s like, _in danger_ , or something?”

“What’re you, his knight in shining armor?” asked Ben jokingly. When seeing that humor did nothing to calm Juno, Ben sighed. 

“Look, Super Steel. He’s probably just on vacay somewhere and didn’t tell you. He probably just didn’t think he’d.. I dunno, he probably didn’t think that it’d have such an effect on you if he left for a little bit.” 

Juno grunted.

“Geez. I don’t even have his _number_ , so, it’s not even like I can text him to see if he’s okay, y’know?”

“Mistah Steel, he’s probably fine! Or, maybe he’s on the _lam_! Maybe he’s on the run from the government! Oh, there’s this one show, where- Oh, hi Sasha!”

Juno made a face. “Why do you say _her_ first name and not _mine_ , Rita?”

“Oh it’s because everytime I say your name I wanna puke a little.” 

Juno snorted.

“Hey Sash,” he said, turning towards Sasha. “How’s it hanging.” 

“Not much, Juno. I’m just here for a place to study,” she said.

“Ouch, studying? Exams coming up?” asked Ben empathetically.

“Unfortunately, yes. Unlike Juno, however, _I’m_ able to survive exams _without_ chugging an entire pot of coffee-”

“That was _one time_!” 

Sasha rolled her eyes and said, “Sure, Juno Steel. Also, hi Ben,” before she walked away to sit at one of the little tables and opened her little laptop and pulled out a book that was probably ten times bigger than her holier-than-thou ego. 

Now that Juno thought about it, it seemed like everyone he knew was in the coffee shop today. Of course, there was Rita and Ben, and now Sasha, but also, sitting at another table-for-two in the corner of the shop were Buddy and Vespa stargazing into each other’s eyes, and Mick is.. Well, he’s _somewhere_ , and even _Valles Vicky_ is here with her fiance, and even the fucking _Kanagawas_ are here, Cecil and Cassandra sitting at the couches, with Cecil clinging onto the arm of his latest boyfriend-of-the-week. 

Alessandra Strong walked out from the back of the shop. “Hey guys, I’m leaving in, hmm, two hours? Can one of you cover my shift?”

“Ugh, why’re you leaving?”

“I’m leaving whether or not my shift’s getting covered, Juno. I’m going to have dinner with my fiance- I’m not going to miss it for the world.”

Juno frowned. It seemed like everyone came in pairs, these days- Cass-and-Cecil, Buddy-and-Vespa, and Vicky and Alessandra both had fiances. And _sure_ , Juno had _Ben_ , but Juno was also thinking about someone else, and that someone else was currently god-knows-where.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll cover for you, Strong,” said Juno.

Alessandra smiled. “Thanks, Steel.”

“Yeah sure, as long as you answer a question- Are you sure you haven’t seen _him_ at all?”

Alessandra groaned. “I’ve already told you, _no_ I haven’t!” Alessandra raised an eyebrow at Juno. “Why do you _care_ so much, anyways?” she asked with that knowing look on her face.

“Can’t a lady just be concerned for his friend?” Juno grumbled.

“Juno’s got a cruuuuush! Juno’s got a cruuuuush!” Rita sang, giggling afterwards.

“I _don’t_ have a crush!”

“Yes you do,” said Ben.

“Yes you do,” said Alessandra.

 _Yes you do_ , said Juno’s inner monologue.

“I hate literally everyone here.” 

“Juno has a crush?” asked Mick Mercury, popping into the front of the shop.

Juno groaned.

“I _don’t_!”

“Oh, wait, is it on that one guy? With all the different names?”

“Do you not know what _don’t_ means, Mercury!?” Juno snapped, but it didn’t have any actual fire behind it.

“Oh, c’mon, JJ! Even _I_ could notice that you’re head-over-heels!”

“Christ, even _you_? Am I _that_ obvious?” The words just slipped out of Juno’s mouth naturally, and Juno immediately regretted it.

“Wait, I- I _don’t_ have a fucking crush on him!” Juno rushed out, but Ben and his three coworkers were already looking at each other with wide sparkling eyes and big toothy grins.

“You,” said Alessandra, “ _literally_ just admitted it.”

“I-I _didn’t_!”

And then a burst of sound- Alessandra arguing with him with a smile, saying _no, you LITERALLY just admitted it, Juno_ , while Mick teased him, and Ben laughing his fucking _ass_ off, and Juno’s pretty sure that the high-pitched sound that painfully pierced his eardrums was Rita’s screaming.

It’s during this commotion when a large man wearing a brown jacket walks in. 

Juno sighed as Jet raised his eyebrows. 

“Hm. What did I miss, Juno Steel?”

“Nothing. Want anything?” 

“No, I’m just here to meet up with Buddy and Vespa.”

“Oh, yeah- They’re here already, right over there. ..Hey Siquliak, let’s say that I have a friend, but I have no way to contact him, and he hasn’t been seen in _months_. Should I go into total freak-out mode and assume that he’s dead and rotting in a dumpster behind a Denny’s parking lot?”

“Hmm,” said Jet, thinking for a moment. “Is your friend gone often? Perhaps your friend is just on a business trip.” Darling paused. “Perhaps you shouldn’t dwell on it too much, you might just be overthinking. Stop dwelling on the past, Juno Steel- After all, you know what they say; We may look back, if only to see that we haven’t walked this path before.”

“I’ve literally never heard _anyone_ say that.”

“That’s because I just made it up. Good luck with your romantic endeavors, Juno Steel.”

“Wha- I didn’t say anything about it being _romantic_! I said _friend_ , not fucking _boyfriend_!” Juno started saying, but Jet had already walked over to Buddy and Vespa.

Juno sighed. Now with Jet in the shop, it felt like a full house. Everyone was here. Everyone, except one person in particular.

Ugh. Stupid feelings. Stupid feelings, and stupid friends, and stupid Nameless Mystery Man.

Juno turned back to his coworkers, who all still looked like smug assholes. Juno glared daggers at them like they had bullseyes painted on their foreheads.

“You,” he said, “are all the worst.”

Alessandra just smiled. “Not my problem you have a pitifully obvious crush on a guy who’s name you don’t even know.” Juno sighed at that.

After a while, things calm down and everyone’s back to minding their own damn business. The coffee shop is back to its usual volume, which is to say that it’s quiet. Ben is sitting on the counter, playing on his phone with his earbuds in, Mick and Rita are chatting together, Alessandra is refilling the little station with the creamer and sugar, and Juno is rolling a coin over his knuckles, throwing it up into the air and catching it, and throwing it and catching it, higher and higher, seeing how high he can go without fumbling.

And honestly? Yeah, sure, Juno’s still anxious as hell about where _he_ could be, but also- He’s surrounded by all his friends, who somehow still put up with him after all this time, so maybe it’s not all bad. It’s rather comforting in its familiarity. 

He’s still playing with the little silver coin- Throw, catch, throw, catch, throw, catch, and then suddenly the coin clatters onto the floor with an obnoxious ring that hurts his ears. 

Because right at that moment, the door opens, and there _he_ is- With that perfect smile and his soft-looking hair, and his twinkling eyes behind thick-framed glasses.

Mystery Man smiles, tilts his head, and he’s about to say something but before he can Juno’s already _fucking jumped_ over the counter and ran up to him, crashing into a bone-crushing hug that makes the man suddenly unbalanced, but he’s thankfully able to catch himself at the last second.

“Juno, wha- I mean, I don’t mind in the slightest, but-”

“You asshole! Where’d you go? Ya can’t just keep a lady waiting like that!”

“Something just came up, I- I didn’t think you’d take it so personally, Juno!” he says, but Juno hear the smile in his voice. “Didn’t think you’d miss me so much!” He hugs Juno back, before slowly pulling away to look at him. “Evidently, I was wrong,” he says.

“What!? Of _course_ I missed you, motherfucker!”

Mystery Man tilted his head, still looking surprised.

“What," said Juno, "You think I wouldn’t notice if you suddenly just dropped off the edge of the Earth!?”

“Dude, he legit kinda thought you were dead,” Ben (un)helpfully added.

The man in front of him looked positively shocked. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Juno! I wasn’t aware that it’d be such a big deal!”

The man apologizing for Juno’s (over)reaction immediately made him feel kinda bad.

“No, I’m sorry- I just got all weird and anxious and uh, worried, I guess.”

“Oh no no, no need to apologize, Juno! It’s..” Mystery Man blushed pink. “.. _Flattering_ , in fact. I don’t think- Well, I’ve never really had anyone worry about me like that. I do hope you’re alright, though?”

“I’m- I’m fine. Just peachy.”

The man smiled.

“So,” says Juno, at the same time the man says, “Nureyev.” 

Juno paused.

“What?”

“..Peter Nureyev.”

Juno widened his eyes. 

“Wait, that’s-”

“My name, yes.”

Juno's eyes widen even more, and he's sure it probably looks ridiculous, but he’s too in shock to care. 

“Oh my _god_. I- Wait- You already told me! You already told me that!” 

“You remember?”

“I- Oh my _god_ , I’m an idiot! A few months ago.. So that _was_ you! Everyone _said_ it was you, but I thought they were just lying because _I_ didn't notice that it was you, but I was _so_ out of it at the time- Oh my _god_!”

Mystery Man- No, _Peter_ , laughed. 

“Oh, Juno Steel,” he said with that adorable crooked smile. “You’re an impossible idiot.” There was nothing but fondness in his voice.

“I- Peter Nureyev. _Peter Nureyev_.” Juno tests out the name on his tongue. It’s a nice fit. “Honestly, some part of me thought that I'd never ever know your name.”

“You thought I’d never tell you?”

“What can I say, Nureyev? I'm a dramatic overthinking bastard.”

By this point, the others in the coffee shop have definitely noticed their commotion. If Juno listens hard enough, he thinks he can hear Rita whisper-chanting “kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!”, and Nureyev seems to hear it, too, because there's a particular sparkle in his eye. 

“Well, should we give the people what they want?” Peter’s about to teasingly ask, but Juno acts before Peter can say it- He reaches up, and pulls Nureyev down by the lapels of his jacket, and brings him down into a kiss. 

For one horrifying second, Nureyev doesn't respond, just stands there like a shocked statue, and Juno wonders if he did the wrong thing. 

But then Nureyev puts his hands on Juno’s shoulders, and he leans in, and Juno can feel Nureyev’s lips smiling against his own. 

In the background, Juno hears cheering. He also hears Cecil, and it’s no doubt that he and Nureyev are gonna be the new hot gossip of Cecil’s next issue, but Juno can worry about that later. He’s too happy to even care about it, so instead, he's going to be living in the moment- And in _this_ particular moment, he’s in the embrace of _Peter Nureyev_. 

BONUS

“I look ridiculous.” 

“Nonsense!” said Peter, kissing Juno on the cheek. “You look gorgeous.”

Juno looked at himself in the mirror- A dark blue dress with lace in the front that went down to just above his knees. 

“It's a _wedding_ ,” said Juno, “not a _strip club_.”

“Gee, Mistah Steel!” said Rita. “If you ask _me_ , _I_ think it looks classy!”

“Well, good thing I _wasn't_ asking you, Rita. ..Sorry, that was rude.”

“Just a bit," agreed Rita, "But apology accepted!

Juno sighed. “I can't believe Alessandra’s having an _actual_ wedding. I always sorta assumed that they'd just say some vows in a random parking lot and call it good, y’know? How're they even _paying_ for it?” 

“Erm, I’m thinking that Alessandra blackmailed Cecil into paying for it. But _don't_ ask me how I know that!! I had absolutely _nothing_ to do with it!!”

Juno sighed. “Yeah, yeah, sure. .. _Christ_ , I still can't believe Alessandra picked _me_ to be her maid of honor.” 

“Well,” said Nureyev, “who else would she pick?” 

Juno shrugged. “I dunno, I guess. I sorta assumed that she always just saw me as merely a past fling instead of a good friend actually worthy of coming to her wedding, let alone being her _maid of honor_.” 

“You’re more than just her old fling, Juno,” said Nureyev matter-of-factly, “You’re a _valuable_ friend. You're _lots_ of people’s valuable friend. Alessandra must be _honored_ to have ever made your acquaintance, Juno. Because I know I am.” 

Juno exhaled slowly. “Right. Right. I'm more than just.. Right. ..Thanks, Nureyev.”

Nureyev smiled softly. “My pleasure, darling.” 

“Yeah, Mistah Steel! You're my best friend, boss, and I'll fight anyone that’s got anything against you! Well, not _fight_. I'll just hack into their computers and expose their deepest darkest secrets!”

“..Thanks, Rita..?”

“Of course! So anyways, do you like the dress?” asked Rita.

Juno sighed, paused, and said, “Yeah, actually. I like the dress.”

Rita squealed and clapped, bouncing up and down a little. “Yay! It looks great on you, Mistah Steel!” 

Juno shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so, thanks.”

Nureyev gets a text.

> **Benzaiten**  
>  So how's the dress hunting going?? spill the sweet sweet goss petey spare no detail 

Nureyev smiled.

> **Peter**  
>  It's going wonderfully 

Soon after the kiss in the coffee shop, Peter and Juno had the “so we're dating now right?” talk, and decided that “yeah we totally are”, and Peter had then become acquainted with Juno’s twin brother Benzaiten. 

After Ben had given Peter a blinding smile that said _I will kill you if you hurt him_ , and Peter shot back with a look in his eye that said _Hurting him? I’d never dream of it!_ , Ben’s grin turned genuine and the two actually got along rather well- Juno says that Ben basically regards Peter like a brother (in law). Juno jokingly says that it's the worst thing that's ever happened to him- Ben and Peter, two equally chaotic forces of nature, are now ganging up on him, but Peter can tell that Juno's happy they're getting along so well. 

> **Peter**  
>  honestly how'd I get so lucky to be with Juno

> **Benzaiten**  
>  agahajakalashaj holy fuck that's so fucking gay  
>  ur so fucking gay for him 

> **Peter**  
>  precisely! 

> **Benzaiten**  
>  ur gay  
>  honestly tho ur perfect for him Im so glad that out of all the people he could be dating its u  
>  also ohmygod ur gay af

> **Peter**  
>  You are too 

> **Benzaiten**  
>  touche

Peter would be lying if he said that having Ben’s approval about dating Juno didn’t make him feel rather happy. 

> **Benzaiten**  
>  also oh boy have you seen cecils new magazine issue??? guess what it's abouuuuuut

> **Peter**  
>  I haven't seen it yet and I'm morbidly curious  
>  Im not sure what its about but I certainly have a hunch

> **Benzaiten**  
>  if juno didnt already want cecil dead then he definitely does now. hint hint; there's a nice shadowy place with a dumpster behind the dennys parking lot 

> **Peter**  
>  Noted and thank you for the tip

“Your brother just said that I'm super fucking gay,” Nureyev said. Juno snorted. “ _He’s_ super fucking gay. _He's_ the one who’s a fucking _dance_ major,” Juno said jokingly.

“I'm telling him you said that. Oh- He also said that Cecil has a new magazine issue.”

“Oh _Christ_.” Juno sighed. “I'll kill him later.” 

“Naturally. Now, shall we?” 

“Hm, yeah.” 

They paid for the dress, (“ _Jesus_ , why couldn't Cecil pay for _this_?” “Oh, did you want him to? I'm sure I could-” “On second thought, Rita, nevermind.”), and the three walked down the sidewalk, Juno squished in the middle. 

Juno can be a depressing bastard sometimes, but.. No matter what, he knows that he's not alone. With his best friend Rita on one side, and Peter Nureyev on the other he knows that he's alright. 

And on the days when things don't seem alright, the days where he can't stop thinking about Old Town and Sarah Steel’s voice is stuck in his head? Well, even on those days, he has people that care about him. Even when sometimes he doesn't care much about himself, he will always have someone at his back. 

Peter kisses him on the cheek, and he smiles. 

The love of his life is a man of a million names, but there's _one_ name that really, _properly_ matters-

Peter Nureyev. 

  


Fin.


End file.
